A transcript of the letter to parents is as follows:
Sevenoaks School: Letter to Parents and Carers of Applicants: 6th January 2021 Dear ……… Unbelievably, we have just received notification from the Department for Education that we can continue to administer admissions tests for entry this September! We will therefore reinstate the Verbal Reasoning tests which were to have taken place today. Since Sevenoaks School is not open for classroom teaching, we will be able to test your children over two days, Tuesday 12 January and Wednesday 13 January, which means there will only be 15 children in each hall designed for 250 students, and as before, all safety precautions will be in place. The time of your child’s test will be the same as that agreed for today, and we will let you know on Friday which day your child will be assessed – the Tuesday or Wednesday. If your child is unable to make one of those days please would you let us know by return. I know that a few of you were unable to take the test this week as you have been self-isolating etc. If this will still be the case by next week please could you let me know so that we can make alternative arrangements. Thank you so much for your continued patience and very best wishes, Arabella Stuart Director of Admissions |
It follows hard on the heels of a previous communication sent by the school to parents on the 4th December, which had followed the law by cancelling the entrance exams: Dear …..Following last night’s news that England will be in lock-down from tomorrow morning I am sure you won’t be surprised that we have had to cancel tomorrow’s Year 7 entrance exams. I am so sorry to have to give you this disappointing news. Thank you for bearing with us while we consider the best way to assess your child for Year 7 entry. We will be in touch with you next week in order to explain what the process will be. Very best wishes, Arabella Stuart Director of Admissions.
Between them, the two letters make it crystal clear that Sevenoaks School was preparing to follow the law by cancelling the entrance exams, until government intervened by making them a special case.
A further communication includes:
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I understand that some other private schools are making arrangements which are legal, but it does raise the question of how the law will be enforced for the next two days of testing at Sevenoaks School.